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Archive for December, 2013
The Oakland A's have several position players whose performances will decisively dictate the overall success of the team in 2014. One of those key players is first baseman Brandon Moss. In 2013, Moss played a full season for the first time in his career, and he performed exceptionally. He blasted 30 home runs, drove in 87 runs and slugged .522, the latter of which was good for sixth in the American League. Those totals came one year after Moss compiled a .954 OPS with 21 home runs in only 265 at-bats in 2012. In total, Moss hit 51 home runs in ...
The 2013 season was yet another year of disappointment for the Oakland Raiders' franchise, marking the 11th straight season in which they failed to finish with a record above the .500 mark. In a year in which the team had more dead money against the salary cap than any other in league history, little was expected by way of wins or even competitiveness heading in. Even so, the Raiders showed some promise early on, turning out to be one of the NFL's surprise teams in the first half of the season. Despite the lack of expectations, the ensuing drop off in play ...
It’s safe to say that Oakland A’s outfielders struggled in 2013. In fact, they ranked 28th in the majors with a collective batting average of .236. Yoenis Cespedes was perhaps the biggest disappointment. Cespedes, the Cuban sensation who batted .292 with an .861 OPS in 2012, fell off in almost every major category in 2013. His home run total jumped from 23 to 26, but he posted an alarmingly low .294 OBP, and his OPS fell by 125 points to .736. Additionally, his WAR was cut in half, from 3.4 to 1.7. Josh Reddick was actually worse than Cespedes. Reddick, who won ...
You might consider the Oakland Athletics to be winners this offseason. You might say the flurry of moves they made were average. But each move had major implications—some good, some bad—for the individual players involved. For example, certain guys held on to their role while others lost theirs. One guy in particular made out like a bandit with the money he'll make, while another essentially lost out on millions. Then there's a certain piece of offseason news that affects the fans. So who comes out of the A's offseason looking like a winner, and who heads to spring training wishing there was better ...
Look at that face. Just take a moment and spoon that into your eyes. One intrepid Raiders fan at the Coliseum took it upon himself to craft a makeshift sign in the midst of Oakland’s complete drubbing Sunday at the hands of the Denver Broncos. The result was a photo capturing one of the smuggest, most face-palming-est moments in recent memory. The image was spotted by Timothy Burke of Deadspin, and it radiates toxic amounts of Raider-y struggle. This is the face of a man who couldn’t have been happier with his team losing, as it afforded him another chance to stick it to ...
General manager Reggie McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen went to painstaking lengths to transform the Oakland Raiders' 2013 roster from the mess it had been a year earlier. Despite a new offense and 10 new starters on defense, however, the results were strikingly familiar in another lost season for this once-proud franchise. For the second straight season, the Raiders got off to an encouraging start before wilting over the second half of the schedule. The collapse assuredly cost some players their spots on the roster, and Allen’s own job security has come under question in recent weeks. It all sets up for ...
Although it’s been pretty clear for weeks now, the Oakland Raiders finally know what their biggest need is heading into the offseason: finding a quarterback not named Terrelle Pryor or Matt McGloin. That point was driven home emphatically during the team’s Week 17 loss to the Denver Broncos. Making his first start in nearly two months, Pryor looked like a novice swimmer who was pushed into the deep end of the pool. He stumbled, he fumbled, and for most of the game, he bumbled around the field while drawing a cascade of boos from the hometown fans. That he threw for a ...
The Oakland Raiders ended their season with a thud, getting walloped by the Denver Broncos in the Week 17 regular-season finale for both teams. The final score wasn’t nearly as lopsided as the game was, particularly when considering likely NFL MVP Peyton Manning didn’t even play the second half. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Oakland quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who had a mostly miserable game in his first game back in the starting lineup after sitting out six weeks. Defensively, it wasn’t much better. The Broncos took advantage of favorable field position and built a 31-0 lead while cruising to ...
The Oakland Raiders head into Sunday’s season finale against the Denver Broncos hoping to get their final evaluation of quarterback Terrelle Pryor. After six games with undrafted rookie free agent Matt McGloin as the starting quarterback, the Raiders have turned back to Pryor, who was their Week 1 starter. Despite having nine career starts under his belt, Pryor still has a lot to prove. Given that Pryor’s third season in the NFL will come to an end on Sunday, the start could dictate his future at the quarterback position and his status next season with the Raiders. If Pryor isn’t effective as ...
Chimdi Chekwa grew up in Louisiana following the career path of Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning from high school to the NFL. The way things are shaping up, the Oakland Raiders’ reserve cornerback will finally get to play against the potential future Hall-of-Famer when the two teams meet in Week 17. Mike Jenkins was again limited in practice on Friday because of a sore hamstring and is questionable to play in Sunday’s game. Chekwa, a fourth-round pick in 2011, took the majority of reps in practice. Additionally, the Raiders may also be without their other starting cornerback Tracy Porter. Porter was limited ...